![Lou and Ed Banach](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/af/Lou_and_Ed_Banach.jpg)
Edward Joseph "Ed" Banach (born February 6, 1960) is an athlete who won a gold medal in wrestling in the
1984 Summer Olympics
The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the secon ...
. He wrestled for the
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is org ...
under coach
Dan Gable
Danny Mack Gable (born October 25, 1948) is an American former folkstyle and freestyle wrestler and coach. Considered to be one of the greatest wrestlers of all time, Gable is a two-time NCAA Division I national champion, a world gold medalist, ...
from 1980 to 1983, where he was a four-time NCAA All-American, and a three-time NCAA national champion (1980, 1981, and 1983). He was named the 1983
Big Ten Athlete of the Year The Big Ten Athlete of the Year award is given annually to the top male and female collegiate athletes in the Big Ten Conference. It was first awarded in 1982, with winners being selected by a panel of conference media members from nominations submi ...
.
Banach and his twin brother
Lou Banach
Ludwig David "Lou" Banach (born February 6, 1960) is an American athlete who won a gold medal in wrestling in the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. He was noted with his fraternal twin brother Ed Banach for both winning gold medals in frees ...
were noted for both winning gold medals in wrestling in the 1984 Olympic Games, as did the Schultz brothers,
Dave Dave may refer to:
Film, television, and theater
* ''Dave'' (film), a 1993 film starring Kevin Kline and Sigourney Weaver
* ''Dave'' (musical), a 2018 stage musical adaptation of the film
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and
Mark
Mark may refer to:
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* Fi ...
.
Early life and education
Ed and Lou Banach are
fraternal twin
Twins are two offspring produced by the same pregnancy.MedicineNet > Definition of TwinLast Editorial Review: 19 June 2000 Twins can be either ''monozygotic'' ('identical'), meaning that they develop from one zygote, which splits and forms two em ...
brothers born in
, sons of Wraclaw and Genevieve Banach, immigrants from Poland and Germany, respectively.
["Banach twins grapple with their problems"](_blank)
''New York Times'', June 22, 1984 They have an older brother Steve, born in 1958. Their family broke up when they were young, after their house was destroyed in a fire and their father left. Their mother suffered a nervous breakdown, and the children had to be put in care.
The twins and their brother Steve were all adopted by Alan and Stephanie Tooley of
Montague Township, New Jersey
Montague Township is a township in Sussex County, New Jersey, United States, in the New York City Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 3,847, reflecting an increase of 435 (+12.7%) from the 3,41 ...
.
The family moved to
Port Jervis, New York
Port Jervis is a city located at the confluence of the Neversink and Delaware rivers in western Orange County, New York, United States, north of the Delaware Water Gap. Its population was 8,775 at the 2020 census. The communities of Deerpark, ...
, where the three boys all became involved in football and wrestling in high school. The twins were established as the best wrestlers in Port Jervis history by the time they graduated in 1978. Ed Banach was "so quick, so strong, so tough they called him, 'The Horse.'"
The three brothers all attended college on wrestling scholarships; Steve at
Clemson University
Clemson University () is a public land-grant research university in Clemson, South Carolina. Founded in 1889, Clemson is the second-largest university in the student population in South Carolina. For the fall 2019 semester, the university enro ...
and the twins both at the
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is org ...
.
Ed Banach wrestled at Iowa competitively from 1980 to 1983. He was a standout wrestler, with a career record of 141-9-1 and the school record for most pins in a career (73). Banach was a four-time NCAA All-American, and a three-time NCAA national champion in Division I (1980, 1981, and 1983). He was named the 1983
Big Ten Athlete of the Year The Big Ten Athlete of the Year award is given annually to the top male and female collegiate athletes in the Big Ten Conference. It was first awarded in 1982, with winners being selected by a panel of conference media members from nominations submi ...
.
[Sal Interdonato, "Banach's Olympic gold came with a heavy price"](_blank)
''Times Herald Record'' (recordonline.com), August 13, 2006, accessed November 15, 2014
Olympic Gold
In 1984 the Banach twins competed in two different weight classes in wrestling at the
1984 Summer Olympics
The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the secon ...
in Los Angeles, California. Ed Banach defeated Akira Ota of Japan 15–3 in the 198-pound freestyle gold-medal match.
Both men won gold medals, as did the American
Schultz brothers. Wrestling at lower weight classes than the Banachs, the Schultzes became the first American brothers to win gold medals in the same Olympics in wrestling. However, the Banach brothers have the distinction of being the first American twin brothers to win the gold medal in the same Olympics in wrestling.
Ed Banach defeated Ota while suffering from a concussion, the last of 15 that he had incurred on his way to the Olympics. He has suffered from post-concussion syndrome, long before it was identified as a sports risk to wrestlers, boxers, and football players.
Career
Banach stayed involved in sports and served as assistant coach at
Iowa State University
Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a public land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, Iowa State became one of the n ...
until 1987. After suffering for 14 months with a
migraine
Migraine (, ) is a common neurological disorder characterized by recurrent headaches. Typically, the associated headache affects one side of the head, is pulsating in nature, may be moderate to severe in intensity, and could last from a few hou ...
after getting hit in practice, he decided he had to retire. Although it was the end of his athletic career, Banach runs a spring wrestling clinic in
Ames, Iowa
Ames () is a city in Story County, Iowa, United States, located approximately north of Des Moines in central Iowa. It is best known as the home of Iowa State University (ISU), with leading agriculture, design, engineering, and veterinary medici ...
, where he continues to live.
Personal life
Banach married while he was at Iowa; his wife was a dental hygiene student.
They have a son who started competing in wrestling in high school. Ed has enjoyed advising him, but cannot "get on the mat" with him to show him any moves.
Honors
* In 1997 Banach was inducted into the
University of Iowa Athletics Hall of Fame
The University of Iowa Athletics Hall of Fame is a sports history museum located in the Roy G. Karro Building in Iowa City, Iowa, U.S. The museum pays tribute to the most legendary and influential Iowa Hawkeye sports heroes. Opened in October 200 ...
.
* In 2002, he was inducted into the
National Wrestling Hall of Fame
The National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum is a museum and hall of fame for amateur wrestling, headquartered in Stillwater, Oklahoma. In 2010, it began operating the Dan Gable Museum in Waterloo, Iowa.
History
The museum was awarded to Stillw ...
;
"Ed Banach", inducted 2002
National Wrestling Hall of Fame, accessed November 15, 2014 his plaque reads, "a thoroughbred in all respects."
* Port Jervis, New York installed a blue-and-gold sign in town honoring Ed and Lou Banach as Olympic champions.
References
External links
*
*
"Ed Banach"
Olympic Results
1982 NCAA Championships, Ed Banach v. Mark Schultz
YouTube
{{DEFAULTSORT:Banach, Ed
1960 births
Living people
Iowa Hawkeyes wrestlers
Olympic gold medalists for the United States in wrestling
People from Montague Township, New Jersey
People from Port Jervis, New York
University of Iowa alumni
Wrestlers at the 1984 Summer Olympics
American male sport wrestlers
Medalists at the 1984 Summer Olympics
Big Ten Athlete of the Year winners